ZIMRA Officers Nabbed Over Shady Car Importation Deals
4 February 2025
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By A Correspondent

Two Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) officers stationed at Victoria Falls have been charged with criminal abuse of office following allegations of facilitating the illegal importation of motor vehicles.

Philip Kuvenga and Rangariraishe Zingwe, both customs officers at the Victoria Falls Border Post, are accused of unlawfully assisting in the importation of 20 vehicles older than ten years, a violation of Statutory Instrument 54 of 2024. The alleged offenses are said to have taken place between January and December 2024.

According to the prosecution, the accused individuals accepted documents from clients both electronically and manually. They then manipulated vehicle valuation processes, altered chassis numbers, and submitted these falsified documents to their supervisor for approval. The manipulation was reportedly aimed at deceiving the supervisor during the vehicle age verification process.

Once the altered documents were approved, the officers allegedly entered the correct chassis numbers into the ASYCUDA World System. They are also said to have modified physical valuation sheets or replaced the original documents with the corrected ones before finalizing the processing of the vehicles.

Additionally, the officers are accused of releasing the vehicles without recording them in the release register or ensuring proper registration and insurance, as required by station procedures.

The fraudulent activities came to light when a vehicle was found to be registered despite not having physically arrived in Zimbabwe. An investigation was launched, leading to the arrest of the two officers.